Salah to leave Liverpool at the end of the season
Salah agreed a new two-year deal in April 2025, but will depart on a free transfer after Liverpool said they had "reached an agreement" over his future.
Timothy Abraham, BBC Sport journalist and Aadam Patel, Liverpool reporterWednesday March 25, 2026
Mohamed Salah’s nine-year Liverpool story is heading for its final chapter after the forward announced he will leave Anfield at the end of the season.
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The 33-year-old Egypt international, signed from Roma in June 2017, confirmed his decision in a video posted on his social media accounts.
“Unfortunately the day has come. This is the first part of my farewell,” Salah said.
“I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.”
Salah agreed a new two-year deal in April 2025, but will depart on a free transfer after Liverpool said they had “reached an agreement” over his future.
The news lands amid a frustrating campaign by Salah’s usual standards.
He has scored 10 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions and is on track for his lowest seasonal return since arriving on Merseyside.
Tensions also surfaced publicly in December, when Salah spoke to reporters after Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Leeds and said he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club, adding that his relationship with head coach Arne Slot had broken down.
Speculation over a possible January exit followed, though Salah later returned to the team after his Africa Cup of Nations involvement.
His next destination remains unknown, with no clarity yet on which club — or even which country — he will represent next season.
Liverpool said Salah chose to make the announcement now in order to tell supporters “at the earliest possible opportunity” and to “provide transparency about his future due to his respect and gratitude for them”.
In his message, Salah reflected on how life at Liverpool has shaped him, referencing the Covid-19 pandemic and, more recently, the death of team-mate Diogo Jota.
He said: “I never imagined how deeply this club, this city, these people would become part of my life. Liverpool is not just a football club. It’s a passion. It’s a history. It’s a spirit.
“I can’t explain it in words to anyone not part of this club. We celebrated victory. We won the most important trophies and we fought together through the hardest time in our life.
“I want to thank everyone who was part of this club throughout my time here, especially the team-mates, past and present.”
Since arriving in 2017, Salah has been central to Liverpool’s resurgence, consistently providing goals at a rate that placed him among the club’s modern greats.
During his spell he helped deliver two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Fifa Club World Cup, the Uefa Super Cup, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups, along with the Community Shield.
His 255 goals in 435 games for the Reds rank him third on Liverpool’s all-time scoring list, behind Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285).
Individually, Salah has collected the Premier League Golden Boot four times and has been voted the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year on three occasions — in 2018, 2022 and 2025.
He also paid tribute to Liverpool supporters, saying they “showed me through the best time of my career” and “stood by me in the toughest times”.
“It’s something I will never forget and something I will take with me always. Leaving is never easy,” he said.
“You gave me the best time of my life, I will be always one of you. The club will always be my home, to me and to my family. Thank you for everything. Because of all of you I will never walk alone.”
Liverpool described Salah’s spell as a “remarkable nine-year chapter” and said plans to recognise his contribution would be confirmed later.
“With plenty still left to play for this season, Salah is firmly focused on trying to achieve the best possible finish to the campaign for Liverpool,” the club added.
“Therefore, the time to fully celebrate his legacy and achievements will follow later in the year when he bids farewell to Anfield.”
Defending champions Liverpool sit fifth in the Premier League with seven matches left.
They will meet holders Paris St-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals and face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, 4 April.
Team-mate Andy Robertson said Salah should receive a farewell befitting what he called “the greatest” player in the club’s history.
The Scotland international posted on Instagram, external it “has been a joy to watch and be part of” Salah’s career at Anfield.
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock told BBC Sport it will be “interesting” to see how Salah’s final months unfold, likening the moment to Jurgen Klopp’s surprise January 2024 statement that he would leave at the end of that season.
“It’s almost taken it out of the club’s hands for the way they’ve dealt with it,” said Warnock.
“When Klopp announced he was leaving, every game was a fanfare, everyone wanted to go to the games and watch.
“They didn’t end the season the way they wanted it to with a fairytale ending. If Salah can do that and get to a Champions League final and win that final, it’ll be very interesting to see.”
Warnock said Liverpool will have balanced the potentially “huge” loss of not cashing in through a sale against the savings on Salah’s wages, which are reportedly about £400,000 per week.
John Gibbons from Liverpool podcast The Anfield Wrap told BBC Radio 5 Live the news will bring “shock” and “sadness” for many supporters.
Still, he argued the decision may make sense beyond the emotion of the moment: “If you think with your head rather than your heart, it’s probably the best thing for everyone. He’s our highest-paid player, and he’s on a huge salary, and he’s not delivering, and that will hurt him.”
Gibbons added Liverpool fans “adore” Salah and expects the enduring conversation after his exit to centre on the “joy” he has given them.
He said: “You feel that every time he steps on the field, he feels the love, adoration, and support of so many supporters.”